A question from Albury on Q and A

On Sunday, five local community members teamed up with ABC Open to film questions for the Q and A panel. They raised issues relating to disability and community access - and one of the questions was broadcast on Monday's programme.

Mike Eden, from Albury, had his question broadcast on ABC's Q and A program last night (watch the show here, Mike's question is at the 28 minute mark).

This is what he asked:

I have a seven year old autistic son. We moved from Queensland to Albury so we could have a better lifestyle. Unfortunately I don't think the Government and the Opposition is aware of the increased numbers of autistic children in the community. My question is to Penny and Barnaby: Is there any plan to help us to educate our children and integrate them into society so that we, as parents, don't have to go on the dole and be looked after by the government while we look after our children?

Mike and his family are currently living in rental accommodation in West Albury. He is working two days a week as a lawyer so that he and his partner, Karena, can home school their son, Will.

Mike and his family used to live on the Gold Coast. They drove a Porsche, had a big house near the beach and had 'a very different life'.

'We sit Will down at 9.00 each morning, do maths from 9 til 10 and do 1:1 teaching throughout the day. He's just gone ahead in leaps and bounds, it's amazing.' Mike is conscious that many parents wouldn't be able to provide their children with this kind of opportunity.

'We're one of the few parents [of kids with disabilities] who are still together. The divorce rates are unbelievable. It places so much pressure on relationships, so there are lots of single parents doing it alone'.

Mike wants to see a coordinated federal government approach to educating children with disabilities. He also wants to see more flexibility in how the money is spent. 'Different kids need different services,' he said. He doesn't think that integration is necessarily the answer. 'Put it this way, I wouldn't want my son in a mainstream classroom because he'd take up all the teacher's time and it's unfair that he'd be demanding that much constant attention.'

Mike and his partner are working to equip Will with the academic and social skills he'll need as an adult. 'If you say to him, 'Pull your socks up!' he'll reply, 'I'm wearing thongs!'' said Mike. 'So it's about teaching him to not take everything literally, to say 'Thank you' and 'How are you today?' in day-to-day conversations.'

Mike realises that specialised education is time-consuming and expensive. But he insists that failing to invest in appropriate education from an early age can result in devastating costs in the long term. 'Kids with autism can have meltdowns when they get frustrated. If they don't learn from a young age that those behaviours have consequences, then it's a bit scary for when they become adults.'

Statistically, people with intellectual disabilities have a greater likelihood of becoming homeless, unemployed and ending up in jail. Mike is adamant that it doesn't have to be this way. He believes that many people with autism can lead fulfilled, productive, independent lives if they get the right support from an early age.

'Some of these kids have IQs of 160. We're losing a whole pool of very talented people who could find the cure to cancer but instead they're becoming homeless and not fitting into society.'

According to a study from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2009 an estimated 64,600 Australians had autism - which was more than double the number found in 2003. The survey also found that for children with autism who were attending school, 82 per cent reported 'having difficulty' at school, the majority of whom had difficulty with communication, learning and fitting in socially. It also found that of those children with autism attending school, 24 per cent did not receive any additional support in the classroom.